Fin and Finite
by Sushihiro
Summary: The timing was never right for them in the past, but a new year and new decade also means new beginnings. Or, five times Sam and Freddie weren't ready to be together and one time they were.


_Why do you even care?_

They were in college now. Things weren't the same as when they were children.

So why was Freddie so concerned when he didn't have the right to be?

They had run into each other by accident in the university's book store.

"So I her you're going out with Bryant Tennyson," Freddie says without thinking.

Sam shakes her head and scoffs, "Hello to you too."

She starts off in the opposite direction before Freddie grabs her arm albeit a bit too roughly. Sam glares down at his hand on her arm but Freddie knows that she could get out of his grip easily if she wanted to. She'd always been stronger than him after all.

"Tennyson's just a stupid jock. You're better than him."

"He's in the computer science program just like you," Sam folded her arms across her front. "So by that logic he's no dumber than you are."

Freddie struggled for a comeback and Sam just rolled her eyes at him before proceeding to the aisle of textbooks located at the back of the store. Freddie followed before he could stop himself.

"He's not your type," He finally said.

Sam began pulling books off the shelf without even sparing him a glance. "Why do you even care? We're not together anymore. And in case you haven't noticed, you have a girlfriend."

It was true, Freddie had been seeing Stella for two months now, but at the moment she couldn't be the furthest thing from his thoughts.

"What, no comeback?" Sam spun around to face him. Freddie couldn't do anything but stare back at her.

"Didn't think so." Sam marched away from him once again.

This time he didn't follow her.

_2\. Did you ever imagine that one day we would be going ring shopping together?_

"That one's nice," Freddie pointed to a particularly expensive-looking diamond ring which sparkled prettily from behind the glass.

"Too bad it's out of the price range," Sam snorted, pulling him over to a more modest selection of rings.

Freddie smiled at the feeling of her warm hand which briefly grabbed at his before she let go to examine the jewelry more closely. Somehow it had felt right being here with her.

Freddie shook his head, amused by the sheer irony of the situation. "Did you ever imagine that one day we would be going ring shopping together?"

Sam carefully avoided his eyes, instead inspecting a sapphire ring. "Just think, maybe one day you'll be doing this with your girlfriend."

Freddie cleared his throat. "Actually, I split up with Stella."

A moment of awkwardness passed between them.

"Well then maybe I'll be doing this with my boyfriend one day," Sam finally said.

"You? Married? I thought you said marriage was a scam?" Freddie said incredulously.

"I like this one!" Sam gasped, pointing to a beautiful diamond which sat atop a rose gold band. "It's perfect for Carly, don't you think? It's her style and her size…plus it fits her budget!"

As Freddie began to converse with the clerk about purchasing the ring, Sam's stomach began doing little flips. So it was true? Freddie wasn't with Stella anymore?

It's been one year since college. This could be their only opportunity.

Sam decides not to take that chance.

_3\. I'm happy with the way things are. _

It's two years later and Sam wakes up in Freddie's bed.

Sam sat up with a start, untangling herself out of Freddie's arms and throwing on her shirt hurriedly.

"I thought Mark doesn't get back into town until noon," Freddie said groggily.

Mark was Sam's husband who traveled frequently for work.

"He does, but I have to make myself presentable to pick him up from the airport," Sam explained as she ran her fingers through her messy hair.

"Or you could just tell Mark the truth and stop living this stupid lie."

Sam froze, body suddenly ice cold. "Mind your own fucking business."

"It is my business when we wind up in bed together every weekend," Freddie rolled his eyes.

"So what? You want me to tell my husband the truth and then what? I become your little girlfriend? Not likely," Sam snapped. "Where the hell is my phone?"

Freddie searched for Sam's phone which was caught up between the sheets before throwing it to her.

"So what if I did want you to be my girlfriend? This arrangement is a bit silly when it's pretty obvious how we both feel," Freddie said, exasperated.

"Well maybe that's not what I want. Maybe I like the way my life is going. I'm happy with the way things are," Sam said confidently. Anyone else would've believed her, but Freddie knew her better than that.

"Why can't you just be honest for once?" Freddie tried again.

"I'm using your toothbrush," Sam said before making her way to the bathroom.

4\. _It's your choice! _

"I can't believe you're going to marry that tramp," Sam fumed.

It was eleven months later and the tide had turned.

"Don't call her that," Freddie said sharply. "Sienna is a really nice person. You'd like her if you got to know her."

"As if I want to be best friends with the woman who's marrying my child's father."

They were currently in Freddie's kitchen. Sam had marched right over the moment that Sienna had posted on Facebook that her relationship status was now 'engaged to Freddie Benson.'

"Well Sienna gets off from work in half an hour, so I'd fuck off soon unless you want to be here to greet her," Freddie bit back.

"I thought this was what you wanted?" Sam gestured to her growing stomach. "You said you wanted to be with me. I'm having your kid now and all of a sudden you don't want me anymore?"

"Oh don't start with that bullshit, Sam," Freddie shook his head, "You told me you didn't want me and that you'd never be with me. What was I supposed to do, wait around for you to change your mind? I moved on months ago and it has nothing to do with the baby."

Sam paced around the kitchen frantically. "So that's it, then? You don't want to be with me because you have some new rich chick with a fancy job who's too classy for me to compete with?"

Freddie laughed bitterly. "Is that what you think? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to move on to someone else when all I wanted was for you to stop denying what we had?"

"Well I've stopped denying it now!" Sam shouted. "I'm divorcing Mark. What more do you want from me?"

"And now it's too late," Freddie said firmly. "I do have_ some_ self-respect you know."

"You could've fooled me," Sam said under her breath.

Freddie decided to let that one slide.

"So what am I supposed to do then? Get an abortion? Because I'm not raising this baby on my own."

"It's your choice!" Freddie yelled back, refusing to budge. "You have my full support if you want to have this baby. But I won't leave Sienna for you."

Sam quickly grabbed a mug off the table and threw it in Freddie's direction angrily. The glass missed his ear by inches and shattered against the wall behind him.

"Fuck you."

And then she was gone.

5\. _You've changed._

Sam smiled a lot less than she did two years ago.

On some days she thought about the abortion. Most days she didn't think about it at all. Would she have had the baby if Freddie had taken her back all those years ago?

The resentment made her more quiet than usual, and when Freddie's marriage came crashing down around him she ended up right back in his bed just like before.

She could feel Freddie's fingers stroking her hair afterwards.

All of her dignity was gone it seemed. How could she have forgiven him so easily?

They wouldn't work as a couple now, not after everything they'd been through. They had been doomed from the start all along.

"You've changed," Freddie commented. "You're so quiet all the time. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Sam sighed into the pillow miserably.

_6\. The timing was never right._

Three years go by and things couldn't be more different. There was no more Mark or Sienna. There were no marriages, and no baby.

It was as though the chaotic nature of the world had temporarily allowed them to see each other clearly for the first time.

"We're older now and we both know what we want. We deserve to be happy now," Freddie said thoughtfully.

"The timing was never right," Sam agreed. "I couldn't forgive you before, but I do now."

"And I don't blame you for anything," Freddie said gently. "Not for the abortion, or for what happened with my marriage."

"We wasted so many years," Sam frowned as she watched the sun slowly sink down between the trees. They were currently on the balcony of her apartment, the breeze rustling through her hair.

How many times had the sun risen and set over the years before they finally realized that they were ready to be together?

"Maybe, but we got there eventually," Freddie kissed her hand carefully. Even now it warmed him that she didn't pull of them were done pulling away for good.

"I'd rather waste my time with you anyway than be with anyone else," Sam said, her cheeks flushing at her own confession.

Freddie's surprised grin said it all. "That almost sounded romantic, Sam Puckett."

Their timing wasn't quite right before, but there was a clean slate now.

Their hands intertwined. Today was the first day of their forever.

* * *

A/N: This is going to be my last consistent Seddie Anniversary fic. I've been posting them consistently every year since 2010 (so ten years, wow!). I'll still probably post every other year though seeing as this couple will always have a special place in my heart.


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